Eu:F$Fe's
Geog Ff;rFhical
f,hm:Ìlengeffii
StriemEH
fitleets F$l icy
An'lsterdam,
20-23 Augrust
2007
Abstract:
What
is being
European
to us?
Simone
Betti
(Università
degliStudi
di Macerata)
Tltis
study
analyses
the
perception
of citizenships
and
urban
spaces
that
new
migrants
have
and
the
way
it also has changed
over
the years.
The
few opportunities
that some
migrants
see to become
an equal
part
of
the host
society
and
their
difficulty
to adapt
to foreign
towns
and
to what
they
represent
to the native
people,
is
probably
a consequence
of the
previous
experience
they
have
made
in their
own
countries,
The
research
tries
to reveal
the
various
influences
that
migrants
have
in the
urban
spaces
and
how
they
form
and influence
their
mental
maps.
Since
migration
has become
a relevant
part
of the ltalian
demographic
change,
it is useful
to study
the
differences
or similarities
of the
new
urban
perception
and
utilization.
What is Europe to us?
Perception of territory, space and landscapet changes in cultural models, from migrants' point of view,
T h e w a y i n d i v i d u a l s p e r c e i v e a n d i n t e r r e l a t e w i t h t e r r i t o r i e s h a s t o d o w i t h t h e i r b e h a v i o u r s a n d c u l t u r e s a n d , b e s i d e s r e c a l l i n g t o i n n a t e / a c q u i r e d , n a t u r e / c u l t u r e , i n h e r i t a n c e / e n v i r o n m e n t i s s u e s , c r e a t e s a n d c h a n g e s o r g a n i z a t i o n o f s p a c e s a n d m e n t a l m a p s . O v e r d e c a d e s p o s i t i o n s r e g a r d i n g m i g r a n t s ( m o r e or less focusing o n t h e i r p o i n t s o f v i e w ) t u r n e d o u t t o b e a n t i t h e t i c a n d d i c h o t o m o u s , a l s o d u e t o i n e v i t a b l e e f f e c t s o f p h i l o s o p h i c a l , p o l i t i c a l a n d s o c i a l i d e o l o g i e s ( s o m e t i m e s exasperated u p t i l l e x p l o i t a t i o n m e a n t t o d e f e n d e s t a b l i s h e d o r d e s i r e d - w i s h e d s i t u a t i o n s , t o b e c o n s i d e r e d " n a t u r a l " in order to strengthen p r i v i l e g e s ) . A w a r e th a t < < t h e E u r o p e a n C o m m u n i t y s e e s it s n e x t y e a r s e n g a g e d i n s t a t i n g a c o m m o n id e n t i t y > ( V a l é r y G i s c a r d d ' E s t a i n g s p e e c h t o t h e l t a l i a n S e n a t e o n M a r c h 2 3 r d , d u r i n g th e c o m m e m o r a t i o n o f t h e 5 0 t h a n n i v e r s a r y o f t h e t r e a t i e s o f R o m e ) , E u r o p e a n c i t i z e n s k n o w t h a t l e g a l r e c o g n i t i o n o f m i g r a n t s d o n o t n e c e s s a r i l y i m p l y a n u n a m b i g u o u s c o r r e s p o n d e n c e i n m u l t i p l e a s p e c t s o f c i t i z e n s h i p o r , t o b e m o r e e x a c t , c i t i z e n s h i p s t h a t c o n c e r n a b a t c h o f a d j e c t i v e s ( e c o n o m i c a l , p o l i t i c a l , s o c i a l , E u r o p e a n , n a t i o n a l , a n d s o o n ) . A l t h o u g h t h e d e b a t e c o n c e r n i n g r e c o g n i t i o n o f E u r o p e a n , n a t i o n a l a n d ' s o c i a l c i t i z e n s h i p , i s a t t h e c o r e o f i n s t i t u t i o n a l , p o l i t i c a l a n d e v e r y d a y li f e , a n s w e r s , f e e l i n g s a n d p e r c e p t i o n s t h a t m a n y m i g r a n t s h a v e a b o u t s u c h a r e c o g n i t i o n i s s i m i l a r to t h a t P a u l o f T a r s u s might have had in Athens: <<We will hear thee concerning this yet again>>,
O v e r th e p a s t tw o y e a r s I' v e c a r r i e d o u t a n o p e r a t i o n a l r e s e a r c h c o n c e r n i n g " H o w the perception o f E u r o p e , c i t i z e n s h i p a n d u r b a n s p a c e s , t h a t n e w m i g r a n t s h a v e , h a s c h a n g e d a n d / o r is w i l l i n g to c h a n g e , i n f l u e n c i n g a s w e l l t h e E u r o p e a n i d e n t i t y , o f t h e n e x t d e c a d e s " . T h e s a m p l e is c o m p o s e d o f 2 1 3 m i g r a n t s ( 5 4 % female and 460/o m a l e , o f a g e b e t w e e n 2 5 a n d 5 5 ) , t h a t h a v e b e e n in t e r v i e w e d i n I t a l y ( 7 8 o / o ) , G e r m a n y ( 1 5 % ) and France ( 7 V o ) . P e r c e p t i o n o f E u r o p e h a s c h a n g e d o v e r t h e y e a r s a n d t h e r e l i a b i l i t y o f c u r r e n t p e r c e p t i o n i s i n f l u e n c e d b y f o r m e r l i v e s o f p e o p l e w h o o f t e n f e e l t h e y h a v e ' l o s t t h e i r r o o t s ' . S o m e m i g r a n t s s e e f e w o p p o r t u n i t i e s t o b e c o m e a n e q u a l p a r t o f t h e h o s t s o c i e t y a n d c a n h a r d l y a d a p t t o f o r e i g n l a n d s c a p e s a n d t o w h a t t h e y r e p r e s e n t t o t h e n a t i v e p e o p l e . F o r e i g n e r s u s e a n d f o r m l a n d s c a p e s a c c o r d i n g t o t h e i r n e e d s a n d e x p e r i e n c e s . E v e n if t h e r e is a n u n d e r l y i n g s e n t i m e n t t h a t t h e w a n t s o f t h e " h o s i s " o n t h e t e r r i t o r y h a v e p r e c e d e n c e o v e r t h o s e o f t h e o n e s w h o a r r i v e a s s t r a n g e r s . T h i s r e s e a r c h t r i e s t o r e v e a l th e v a r i o u s in f l u e n c e s t h a t m i g r a n t s h a v e i n p r e s e n t la n d s c a p e s , a n d h o w t h e y f o r m a n d i n f l u e n c e t h e i r m e n t a l m a p s . P e r c e p t i o n o f t e r r i t o r i e s d e a l s w i t h u t i l i z a t i o n o f t h e m b y m i g r a n t s a n d , s i n c e m i g r a t i o n i s p a r t o f t h e d e m o g r a p h i c c h a n g e a l l o v e r t h e w e a l t h y c o u n t r i e s o f E u r o p e , t h e r e a r e m a n y E u r o p e a n c i t i z e n s t h a t d o h a v e m i g r a t i o n - b a c k g r o u n d , T h e r e b y , d i f f e r e n c e s o r s i m i l a r i t i e s o f l a n d s c a p e p e r c e p t i o n a n d l a n d s c a p e u t i l i z a t i o n i s w h a t w e s t u d i e d . T h e f e w o p p o r t u n i t i e s t h a t s o m e m i g r a n t s s e e t o b e c o m e a n e q u a l p a r t o f t h e h o s t s o c i e t y a n d t h e i r d i f f i c u l t i e s t o a d a p t t o f o r e i g n to w n s a n d t o w h a t t h e y r e p r e s e n t t o t h e n a t i v e p e o p l e , is p r o b a b t y a consequence o f t h e p r e v i o u s e x p e r i e n c e t h e y h a v e m a d e i n t h e i r o w n c o u n t r i e s . F u r t h e r m o r e t h e p o w e r o f t h e n e w m a s s - m e d i a m a k e s k n o w l e d g e w i d e r a n d m e t r o p o l i s c l o s e r fo r t h o s e w h o w a n t t o r e a c h th e m a n d h a s a l s o c a u s e d a m a y o r s i m i l a r i t y i n t h e p r e v i o u s m u c h m o r e d i f f e r e n t w a y s o f l i f e . T h a n k s t o t h e s e e a s y w a y s o f c o m m u n i c a t i o n s b i g t o w n s a r e n o t a n y m o r e t h e o n l y c h a n c e to f i n d a j o b , s i n c e th e s a m e o p p o r t u n i t y c a n b e f o u n d i n s m a l l e r o n e s a n d e v e n v i f l a g e s . A c c o r d i n g t o 7 6 0 / o o f t h e s a m p l e t h e c i t i z e n s h i p m i g r a n t s t r y t o r e a c h is t h e l e g a l o n e , a n d i t ' s n o a c c i d e n t i f t h e i d e a a n d p o s s i b i l i t y t o e x t e n d t o m a n y m o r e i n d i v i d u a l s , o f e x t r a - E u r o p e a n o r i g i n s t o o , n a t i o n a l a n d E u r o p e a n c i t i z e n s h i p i s w i d e s p r e a d , s t r e t c h i n g t h e b o r d e r s o f e c o n o m i c a n d p e r h a p s p o l i t i c a l E u r o p e a s w e l l , T h i s r e s e a r c h t r i e s t o r e v e a l th e v a r i o u s in f l u e n c e s t h a t m i g r a n t s h a v e in t h e u r b a n s p a c e s a n d h o w t h e y f o r m a n d m o d i f y th e i r o w n m e n t a l m a p s a n d t h e e v o l u t i o n o f t h e " E u r o p e " a n d " E u r o p e a n " c o n c e p t s . S i n c e m i g r a t i o n h a s b e c o m e a r e l e v a n t p a r t o f t h e E u r o p e a n d e m o g r a p h i c a l c h a n g e s , i t i s u s e f u l to s t u d y t h e d i f f e r e n c e s o r s i m i l a r i t i e s o f t h e n e w u r b a n p e r c e p t i o n a n d u t i l i z a t i o n . I t i s a s w e l l i n t e r e s t i n g t o a n a l y s e h o w t h e s y s t e m o f r e f e r e n c e v a l u e s t h a t E u r o p e h a s , a s f a r a s t o l e r a n c e , r e s p e c t o f h u m a n r i g h t s a n d e n g a g e m e n t f o r p e a c e a r e c o n c e r n e d , m e e t s o t h e r c u l t u r e s a n d i d e n t i t i e s . H o w c a n t h e c h a n g e s o f s o c i e t y r e l a t e d to t h e c h a n g e s a n d i n t e r f e r e n c e s o f f o r e i g n la n g u a g e s , h a b i t s , a n d w a y s o f l i f e i n f l u e n c e t h e E u r o p e a n i d e n t i t y ? W h i c h e l e m e n t s a r e a b l e to b r e a k o r t o c h a n g e it a n d h o w d o t h e y r e l a t e to t h e s y s t e m o f E u r o p e a n v a l u e s t h a t a r e h i s t o r i c a l l y c o m m o n t o a l l E u r o p e a n c o u n t r i e s ?
Author: Betti Simone, University of Macerata (Macerata) and University of Urbino (Urbino), Italy Abstracttitle; What is Europe to us? Perception of territory, space and landscape, changes in cultural
T h e m e : Keywords:
models, from migrants' point of view.
E u r o p e ' s C u l t u r e , I d e n t i t y a n d D i v e r s i t y ( E u r o p e a s b o r d e r c r o s s i n g ) EuRopE, PrRcretIolt, Ioerulw, Mrrurel MAps, CULTURE
